Ice cold start for Colorado Eagles

Team looking to regroup

By Adam Dunivan Sports Writer

Posted:
10/21/2012 09:31:49 PM MDT

Colorado Eagles forward Joey Sides (19) takes a shot against Idaho Steelheads goalie Tyler Beskorowany (35) during second-period action Wednesday night at the Budweiser Events Center. Colorado has struggled out of the gates in every facet of the game, but with three or fewer goals in four of five games, the lack of offense is perhaps the biggest surprise.
(Michael Bettis)

Five games into the hockey season, there isn't panic or concern in the Colorado Eagles dressing room.

But after Saturday's 6-1 loss to Idaho that completed a sweep for the Steelheads and a 1-3-1 homestand for a team that typically gets out of the gate strong, key players were voicing their thoughts in a closed-door, players-only meeting while head coach Chris Stewart openly expressed his desire to make some changes.

"There's 23 guys here right now, and that's five too many. That's the way it is. We've tried to take the cautious road that the NHL may be starting up and they may not be starting up and we can't do that," Stewart said after Saturday's setback. "We've got to make decisions now ... We've got to get down to the roster (of 18 players) and hold people accountable."

The Eagles haven't been real solid in any area, which is why as of Sunday they were in last place in the Western Conference with just three points earned. They've been outscored in both the first and third periods of play -- including a 12-3 count in the final 20 minutes -- and their 4.60 goals allowed per contest stands 22nd of 23 teams. The power play units have allowed three shorthanded goals while scoring just five themselves.

The stats continue to be against the Eagles right now, and Stewart said there is a mix of things he sees happening right now.

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"In some cases, players aren't playing in the situations they need to be successful and in other cases, yeah, we are underachieving," Stewart said. "The players that we're counting on to get the job done I don't think have come through yet, but there's been some bright spots with some of the younger guys who have come in that I see a bright future."

It's the near future that has the players' thoughts, notably addressing each and every facet of the game and working hard to right the ship.

"You make your own luck, you know, and it's sticking to the systems that have worked out for us," captain Riley Nelson said. "We're not clicking the way we should, and you can point at me. As a leader, I've got to make sure these guys are ready to go and I've got to take a lot of accountability for this. There's a long way to go and a lot of work to do, but the mental mistakes and those things are hurting us right now and we've got to iron that stuff out."

That starts with defense, but wrinkles in the offense have been pretty glaring, too. Only one line has been on fire, with Michael Forney, Chad Costello and Jack Combs accounting for nine of the squad's 15 goals. Add to that three markers from defensemen, and that equates to three scores from the mix of the rest of the lineup.

On Saturday, Stewart kept his lines intact the entire game. Nelson often saw ice with newcomer Ray Kaunisto and Joey Sides, while Trent Daavettila centered Teegan Moore, Kyle Ostrow and Norm Ezekiel. Those combinations found some rhythm for but a few minutes during the first period but in general were ineffective in getting quality chances.

Friday night wasn't much different, with Forney producing the only two goals of the contest in a 3-2 loss.

"We need to get back to the basics, and come together and almost start fresh," Nelson said. "But you can't just start fresh because you have got to learn from your mistakes. We know a lot of things that we did wrong here, and we'll try to rectify that."

"As groups of five, we're just not really all on the same page right now and we just have to get back to playing all three zones together," defenseman Jake Marto said. "The one thing we base everything on is hard work, so we just have to keep doing that and go from there.

"It's gonna be probably a battle in practice, but that's how it's got to be if we're going to get in practice what we're need in games."